U.S. patent application number 17/639619 was filed with the patent office on 2022-09-15 for vacuum valve for loading and/or unloading a vacuum chamber.
This patent application is currently assigned to VAT Holding AG. The applicant listed for this patent is VAT Holding AG. Invention is credited to Rene BEREUTER, Stefan SCHOCH, Philipp WOHLWEND.
Application Number | 20220290780 17/639619 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006401679 |
Filed Date | 2022-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220290780 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BEREUTER; Rene ; et
al. |
September 15, 2022 |
VACUUM VALVE FOR LOADING AND/OR UNLOADING A VACUUM CHAMBER
Abstract
A vacuum valve (1) for loading and/or unloading a vacuum chamber
(2). The vacuum valve has a closure plate (3) that is pressed
against a valve seat (4) when in a closed position to seal a
loading opening (5) and being raised from the valve seat (4) when
in an open position, exposing the loading opening (5) for loading
and/or unloading the vacuum chamber (2). The vacuum valve has at
least one drive (6) for moving the closure plate (3) back and forth
between the open and closed positions, the closure plate (3) being
held by at least one guide (7) on at least one plate holder (8) of
the drive (6). The vacuum valve has at least one elastic preload
body (9), with the closure plate (3) being movable against a
preload of the elastic preload body (9) along the guide (7)
relative to the plate holder (8).
Inventors: |
BEREUTER; Rene; (Wolfurt,
AT) ; SCHOCH; Stefan; (Salez, CH) ; WOHLWEND;
Philipp; (Vaduz, LI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
VAT Holding AG |
Haag |
|
CH |
|
|
Assignee: |
VAT Holding AG
Haag
CH
|
Family ID: |
1000006401679 |
Appl. No.: |
17/639619 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2020 |
PCT Filed: |
August 6, 2020 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2020/072140 |
371 Date: |
March 2, 2022 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16K 51/02 20130101;
F16K 3/314 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F16K 51/02 20060101
F16K051/02; F16K 3/314 20060101 F16K003/314 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 3, 2019 |
DE |
10 2019 123 563.4 |
Claims
1. A vacuum valve for loading and/or unloading of a vacuum chamber,
the vacuum valve comprising: a closure plate that, in a closed
position, is pushed against a valve seat and closes off a loading
opening and, in an open position, is lifted off from the valve seat
and opens up the loading opening for loading and/or unloading of
the vacuum chamber; at least one drive configured to move the
closure plate at least one of back or forth between the open
position and the closed position, the drive including at least one
plate holder; the closure plate is held against the at least one
plate holder of the drive by at least one guide; and at least one
elastic preload body; wherein the closure plate is movable relative
to the plate holder along the guide counter to a preload of the
elastic preload body.
2. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
detector for detecting a movement of the closure plate relative to
the plate holder along the guide counter to the preload of the
elastic preload body.
3. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the detector has
a first detector element which is fixed to the closure plate, and
at least one second detector element, which is fixed to the plate
holder.
4. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a
regulating device configured to actuate the at least one drive for
movement of the closure plate at least one of back or forth in
dependence on a signal of the detector.
5. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 4, wherein the regulating
device is configured to stop the at least one drive for movement of
the closure plate at least one of back or forth if the signal of
the detector indicates a movement of the closure plate relative to
the plate holder along the guide counter to the preload of the
elastic preload body.
6. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure
plate is movable by the drive along a movement path during movement
of the closure plate at least one of back or forth between the open
position and the closed position, and the guide is arranged
parallel to the movement path of the closure plate.
7. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the closed
position, the closure plate bears against the valve seat in a
closure plane, and the guide is arranged parallel to the closure
plane.
8. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of
the valve seat or the loading opening is formed as part of the
vacuum valve.
9. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive is a
linear drive.
10. A method for operating a vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1,
the method comprising, during movement of the closure plate in the
direction toward the closed position, moving the closure plate
relative to the plate holder along the guide counter to the preload
of the elastic preload body if an object or a person collides with
the closure plate.
11. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide is a
linear guide.
12. The vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure
plate is displaceable relative to the plate holder along the guide
counter to the preload of the elastic preload body.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum valve for loading
and/or unloading of a vacuum chamber, wherein the vacuum valve has
a closure plate, wherein the closure plate, in a closed position,
is pushed against a valve seat and closes off a loading opening
and, in an open position, is lifted off from the valve seat and
opens up the loading opening for loading and/or unloading of the
vacuum chamber, wherein the vacuum valve has at least one drive for
movement of the closure plate back and/or forth between the open
position and the closed position.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A large number of embodiments of vacuum valves are known in
the prior art. Said vacuum valves serve for closing off vacuum or
process chambers at one side in such a way that, in the closed
state, there is provided in the vacuum or process chamber an
enclosed volume in which processes can be carried out under
predefinable negative-pressure conditions and possibly also in a
specially generated atmosphere. Generic vacuum valves can be
suitable for loading and/or unloading the vacuum chamber manually,
that is to say by hand or by way of a hand-guided tool. That is to
say that, in the open position of the closure plate of the vacuum
valve, an operator can put objects into the vacuum chamber by hand
and/or can also remove objects from the vacuum chamber by hand. For
this purpose, the operator must be able to reach with a hand or a
whole arm or at least with a hand-guided tool into the vacuum
chamber through the open vacuum valve. Generic vacuum valves may
however also be provided for mechanical loading and/or unloading of
the vacuum chamber, for example by means of robots.
SUMMARY
[0003] It is an object of the invention to improve the operating
safety of generic vacuum valves for loading and/or unloading of a
vacuum chamber.
[0004] For this purpose, the invention proposes that the closure
plate is held against at least one plate holder of the drive by
means of at least one guide and the vacuum valve has at least one
elastic preload body, wherein the closure plate is movable relative
to the plate holder along the guide counter to a preload of the
elastic preload body.
[0005] The invention thus makes provision for the closure plate to
be fastened movably to the plate holder of the drive such that the
closure plate can be moved relative to the plate holder along the
guide counter to the preload of the elastic preload body. If,
during movement of the closure plate in the direction toward the
closed position, a hand or an arm or a hand-guided tool of the
operator or another object, for example a loading and/or unloading
robot, is inadvertently still situated in the loading opening and
collides with the closure plate, the invention makes it possible
for the closure plate to stop even though the drive is moved
further in the direction of the closed position. This provides a
safety measure by way of which it is possible to avoid a situation
in which the body parts of a person, for example their hand, arm or
the like, that are still situated in the loading opening or objects
which are still situated there, such as for example a loading
and/or unloading robot, is or are crushed or injured or damaged.
Damage to the closure plate or other parts of the vacuum valve can
also be avoided in this way. Vacuum valves according to the
invention may be vacuum valves for manual loading and/or unloading
of the vacuum chamber that are suitable for carrying-out of the
loading and/or unloading process by hand or by way of a hand-guided
tool. They may however also be vacuum valves which are intended for
carrying-out of the loading and/or unloading process mechanically,
for example by means of a loading and/or unloading robot.
[0006] The vacuum valve according to the invention could also be
referred to as vacuum closure device. It is at any rate a valve, or
a closure device, that can be used in so-called vacuum technology.
Reference is normally made to vacuum technology if operating states
with pressures of less than or equal to 0.001 mbar (millibars) or
0.1 pascals are attained. Vacuum valves are valves which are
designed for these pressure ranges and/or corresponding pressure
differences with respect to the surroundings. Reference may also be
generally made to vacuum valves, however, if they are designed for
pressures below normal pressure, that is to say below 1 bar.
[0007] In particular so as to be able to serve for manual loading
and/or unloading of a vacuum chamber, the loading openings to be
closed preferably have a size of 800 cm.sup.2 to 4800 cm.sup.2,
preferably of 1000 cm.sup.2 to 1400 cm.sup.2. The closure plates,
provided for closing off such loading openings, of corresponding
vacuum valves thus likewise expediently have at least these
sizes.
[0008] In preferred embodiments, it is provided that the valve seat
and/or the loading opening are/is formed as part of the vacuum
valve according to the invention. For example, the valve seat may
be formed on a valve housing of the vacuum valve according to the
invention. The loading opening may be a corresponding opening,
preferably surrounded by the valve seat, in the valve housing of
the vacuum valve according to the invention. It is not absolutely
necessary to make provision for this in this way, however.
Alternatives to this are also conceivable. For example, it is
possible for the valve seat and/or the loading opening to be formed
as part of a vacuum or process chamber. Such loading openings, too,
can be closed off by way of the closure plate of vacuum valves
according to the invention when the closure plate is
correspondingly pushed against the valve seat.
[0009] Vacuum valves according to the invention may have a single
drive, but also multiple drives, for movement of the closure plate
back and/or forth between the open position and the closed
position. Vacuum valves according to the invention may be so-called
mono vacuum valves, in the case of which the closure plate is moved
back and forth between the open position and the closed position
only linearly along a single, preferably straight, movement path.
Vacuum valves according to the invention may however also be
so-called L-type vacuum valves, in the case of which the closure
plate is moved back and forth between open position and closed
position on a first movement path and subsequently on at least one
second movement path, wherein these two movement paths are at an
angle to one another, preferably orthogonal to one another. In the
case of such L-type vacuum valves, the invention may also make
provision for the closure plate, starting from the open position,
to be moved firstly into an intermediate position in a preferably
linear direction on a first movement path, in which intermediate
position the closure plate has already been brought into alignment
with the loading opening but does not yet bear against the valve
seat. The closure plate is then brought into the closed position
from said intermediate position on the second movement path, in
which closed position said closure plate then actually bears
against the valve seat in a sealing manner. The opening, that is to
say the movement into the open position from the closed position,
is then realized in a correspondingly reversed manner along the two
movement paths. In particular in the case of vacuum valves
according to the invention for which the closure plate performs an
L-shaped movement between the open position and the closed
position, provision may be made of two drives, wherein the first
drive moves the closure plate along the first movement path and the
second, or further, drive then moves the closure plate along the
second, or further, movement path. Fundamentally, it should be
pointed out, however, that a single drive is also possible for such
L-type vacuum valves, as is known per se in the prior art.
[0010] In preferred embodiments of the invention, the drive(s)
is/are a linear drive. The guide along which the closure plate is
movable relative to the plate holder counter to the preload of the
elastic preload body is expediently a linear guide. Thus, it is
expediently also provided that the closure plate is displaceable
relative to the plate holder along the guide counter to the preload
of the elastic preload body. The guide may be arranged parallel to
a closure plane, wherein, in the closed position, the closure plate
bears against the valve seat in said closure plane. The closure
plane is thus generally defined by that surface of the valve seat
against which the closure plate bears in the closed position. The
expression "guide arranged parallel to the closure plane" means
that, on its way along the guide, the closure plate is moved
relative to the plate holder in a direction parallel to the closure
plane. The guide may at any rate be of very different form in
different variants known per se in the prior art. Rail guides or
slot guides may be involved. Elongate holes, for example in the
closure plate or in the plate holder, may equally well be involved,
wherein corresponding guide pegs are guided in said elongate holes.
The guide pegs may then thus be fastened to the respective
counterpart as well as to the closure plate or to the plate
holder.
[0011] It is expediently provided that the closure plate is able to
be moved by the drive along a movement path during movement of the
closure plate back and/or forth between the open position and the
closed position, and the guide is arranged parallel to the movement
path of the closure plate. As already explained in the
introduction, said movement path may be the single movement path
between open position and closed position, but may also be one of
multiple movement paths between open position and closed position.
The fact that the guide is arranged parallel to the movement path
of the closure plate means in turn that, in the event of movement
along the guide, the closure plate is moved in a direction parallel
to the movement path of the closure plate on which the closure
plate is moved by the drive.
[0012] At any rate, it is the case that the invention makes it
possible for the closure plate to be moved relative to the plate
holder, and thus also relative to the drive, along the guide
counter to the preload of the elastic preload body. In order to
also be able to detect this relative movement, preferred variants
of the invention provide that the vacuum valve has a detector for
detecting a movement of the closure plate relative to the plate
holder along the guide counter to the preload of the elastic
preload body. The detector may have very different designs for this
purpose. Use may be made in this case of a wide variety of
detectors which can be used here and which are known per se in the
prior art. As long as the closure plate is moved along with the
drive, it is possible by way of the detector for example to detect
that a normal operating state prevails. If a person, for example
with a hand or an arm or a hand-guided tool, or an object, such as
for example a loading and/or unloading robot, then inadvertently
collides with the closure plate, then there occurs a movement of
the closure plate relative to the plate holder, and thus also
relative to the drive, along the guide counter to the preload of
the elastic preload body, which can be detected by the detector.
The detector may have for example a first detector element, which
is fixed to the closure plate. It may furthermore have at least one
second detector element, which is fixed to the plate holder. In
these embodiments, a relative movement between the two detector
elements occurs whenever the closure plate is moved relative to the
plate holder. The detector elements may for example be magnetic
sensors, electrical sensors, light sensors or the like. All this is
known in numerous embodiments in the prior art. The detector may
also be referred to as switch, which switches whenever the closure
plate and the plate holder, or the two detector elements, are moved
relative to one another.
[0013] Vacuum valves according to the invention expediently have a
regulating device, wherein said regulating device actuates the at
least one drive, or the multiple drives, for movement of the
closure plate back and/or forth between open position and closing
position. The regulating device preferably does this in a manner
dependent on a signal of the detector. Here, it is preferably
provided that, as long as the detector does not detect a relative
movement between closure plate and plate holder along the guide
counter to the preload of the elastic preload body, the drives are
actuated by the regulating device for back-and-forth movement of
the closure plate in a manner predefined by other operating
parameters or operational commands. If, however, the detector
detects a relative movement between closure plate and plate holder
along the guide counter to the preload of the elastic preload body,
then this is then expediently taken into account by the regulating
device. For example, it may be provided that the regulating device
stops the at least one drive for movement of the closure plate back
and/or forth if the signal of the detector indicates a movement of
the closure plate relative to the plate holder along the guide
counter to the preload of the elastic preload body. In this way, a
type of emergency stop is realized if the detector detects that
closure plate and plate holder are moving relative to one another,
which suggests that the closure plate has collided with an object
or a person or their hand or arm. It goes without saying that other
control commands may also be triggered at the regulating device if
the signal of the detector indicates a movement of the closure
plate relative to the plate holder along the guide counter to the
preload of the elastic preload body. In this case, it may also be
provided for example that the regulating device actuates the drive
in such a way that the direction of movement of the closure plate
is reversed.
[0014] A method according to the invention for operating a vacuum
valve according to the invention expediently provides that, during
movement of the closure plate in the direction toward the closed
position, the closure plate is moved relative to the plate holder
along the guide counter to the preload of the elastic preload body
if an object or a person collides with the closure plate. In the
case of methods according to the invention, this collision can then
in turn be detected by a corresponding detector. The corresponding
signal of the detector can then in turn be used by the regulating
device already mentioned to stop the drive for movement of the
closure plate back and forth or to reverse the direction of
movement thereof, etc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Further features and details of preferred variants of the
invention will be explained below by way of example with reference
to an embodiment variant of the invention. In the figures:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a view obliquely from the rear of an exemplary
embodiment of a vacuum valve according to the invention in the
closed position
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a view from the front of said vacuum valve in
the closed position
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the vacuum valve in the closed
position
[0019] FIG. 4 shows a side view of the vacuum valve in an
intermediate position
[0020] FIG. 5 shows the section along the section line AA from FIG.
4
[0021] FIG. 6 shows the vacuum valve in the open position in a side
view
[0022] FIG. 7 shows the vacuum valve in the open position in a
front view
[0023] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view from the front of the vacuum
valve with a jammed object
[0024] FIG. 9 shows a side view with respect to the state as per
FIG. 8; an
[0025] FIG. 10 shows the section along the section line BB in FIG.
9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The exemplary embodiments according to the invention of a
vacuum valve 1 that are shown in the figures involve a so-called
L-type valve, in the case of which the closure plate 3 is moved
from the open position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 into the intermediate
position shown in FIG. 4 along a first movement path 14, and then
into the closed position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 along a second
movement path 24. The closure plate 3 is moved from the closed
position into the open position, in a correspondingly reversed
manner, firstly into the intermediate position along the second
movement path 24, and from there into the open position along the
first movement path 14. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the
movement paths 14 and 24 are arranged orthogonally to one another.
For each movement path, a separate drive is provided here. Here, in
the exemplary embodiment shown, these drives are in each case
formed in pairs. The two drives 6 serve for movement of the closure
plate between the open position as per FIGS. 6 and 7 and the
intermediate position as per FIG. 4 along the first movement path
14. The further drives 17, which are likewise formed as a pair,
serve for movement of the closure plate 3 between the intermediate
position as per FIG. 4 and the closed position as per FIGS. 1 to 3.
Here, all the drives 6 and 17 are in the form of linear drives.
They may be electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic or other linear
drives. The drives 6 of this exemplary embodiment each have a
piston rod 22 which in each case carries one of the further drives
17. The respective plate holder 8 is in each case fastened to one
of the further drives 17. Said drives are known per se and do not
need to be explained further. In this exemplary embodiment, the
plate holders 8 are fastened to the drives 6 and 17, in each case
in the manner indicated, such that the plate holders 8 are always
moved along with the drives 6 and 17. On the plate holders 8,
correspondingly provided in duplicate here in this exemplary
embodiment, of the respective drive 6 or 17, the closure plate 3
is, according to the invention, movable relative to the respective
plate holder 8 along the guides 7 (which are explained further
below) counter to the preload of the elastic preload body 9, which
is likewise provided in duplicate here.
[0027] The valve seat 4, against which the closure plate 3 bears in
the closed position as per FIGS. 1 to 3, is, in the exemplary
embodiment shown here, part of the vacuum valve 1 according to the
invention, in that said valve seat is formed on the valve housing
18 of the vacuum valve 1. The valve seat 4 surrounds the loading
opening 5, which is closed off by means of the closure plate 3 in
the closed position. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the loading
opening 5 is likewise part of the vacuum valve 1 according to the
invention, in that said loading opening is formed in the valve
housing 18. The loading opening 5 is the opening through which
objects can be introduced manually and/or mechanically into the
vacuum chamber 2, and/or removed manually and/or mechanically from
the vacuum chamber 2, when the vacuum valve 1 is open. For this
purpose, the respective person reaches with a hand or an arm or a
tool held by a hand, or for example a loading and/or unloading
robot reaches, into the vacuum chamber 2 through the loading
opening 5. The vacuum chamber 2 is illustrated schematically in
FIG. 3. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, it is situated on
that side of the valve housing 18 which is opposite the closure
plate 3. The vacuum chamber 2 is known per se and therefore, apart
from in FIG. 3, is not illustrated.
[0028] It has already been explained in the introduction that it is
not absolutely necessary for the valve seat 4 and the loading
opening 5 to be part of the vacuum valve 1 itself. They may, for
example, also be formed directly as parts of the vacuum chamber
2.
[0029] The guides 7, which are likewise provided multiply in this
exemplary embodiment and along which the closure plate 3 is movable
or displaceable relative to the plate holder 8 counter to the
preload of the elastic preload body 9, are, in the variant shown
here, realized within the closure plate 3. As FIGS. 5 and 10 show
in the longitudinal sections along the section lines AA from FIG. 4
and BB from FIG. 9, the guides 7 are, in this exemplary embodiment,
elongate holes 19 in the closure plate 3 in which guide pegs 20 are
guided. In this exemplary embodiment, the guide pegs 20 are in each
case fastened in a fixed manner to one of the plate holders 8. In
the event of relative movement between closure plate 3 and plate
holder 8, the closure plate 3 is displaced by way of its elongate
holes 19 along the guide pegs 20, which leads to corresponding
guidance of the closure plate 3 on the plate holders 8. It goes
without saying that it would also be possible to realize other
guides 7 for mounting the closure plate 3 in a manner movable or
displaceable relative to the plate holders 8. These may for example
be rail guides, other guide slots and the like.
[0030] For the purpose of preloading the closure plate 3 relative
to the plate holders 8, preload bodies 9 are provided on both sides
in this exemplary embodiment, which preload bodies are in the form
of helical springs here. Said preload bodies 9 are guided by means
of pins 21. One end of the preload body 9 lies in each case against
a shoulder 23 of the closure plate 3. The in each case opposite end
of the preload body 9 lies on the respective plate holder 8. In the
unloaded initial or normal position, the preload bodies 9 push the
closure plate 3 into that position relative to the respective plate
holder 8 which is illustrated in FIG. 5. For the sake of
completeness, it is pointed out that the preload between closure
plate 3 and plate holders 8 may of course also be realized by way
of differently formed and differently arranged elastic preload
bodies.
[0031] In this exemplary embodiment, the guides 7 are arranged
parallel to that movement path 14 of the closure plate 3 on which
the closure plate 3 is moved by the drive 6 back and forth between
the open position as per FIGS. 6 and 7 and the intermediate
position as per FIGS. 4 and 5. In this exemplary embodiment,
however, the guides 7 are also arranged parallel to the closure
plane 15, which is drawn in FIGS. 3, 4, 6 and 9. The closure plane
15 is predefined by the valve seat 4. This is the plane in which
the closure plate 3 bears against the valve seat 4 in the closed
position.
[0032] In the variant of the invention shown here, there is also
provided a detector 10 for detecting a movement of the closure
plate 3 relative to the plate holder 8 along the guide 7 counter to
the preload of the elastic preload body 9. In the exemplary
embodiment shown, said detector 10 has a first detector element 11,
which is fixed to the closure plate 3. It furthermore has a second
detector element 12, which is fixed to the plate holder 8. If
relative movement between closure plate 3 and plate holder 8
occurs, then, by necessity, relative movement between first and
second detector elements 11 and 12 also occurs. In this way, the
detector 10 can detect whether the closure plate 3 and the plate
holder 8 have been moved relative to one another along the guide 7
or whether plate holder 8 and closure plate 3 are still in the
initial or normal position, shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, relative to one
another. The detector 10 can, as already explained in the
introduction, work with a wide variety of physical measurement
variables. Electrical, mechanical, magnetic, optical or other
detectors may be involved. All of this is known per se and does not
need to be explained further.
[0033] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a regulating device 13
which is known per se, which regulating device first of all serves
for actuating the drive of the vacuum valve 1, that is to say the
drives 6 and the further drives 17 in the specific exemplary
embodiment here, for opening and closing the loading opening 5.
Said regulating device 13 is, in this exemplary embodiment, now
also connected to the detector 10 such that, when the drives 6 and
17 are actuated, the regulating device 13 can take into account a
signal of the detector 10, or in other words can actuate the drives
6 for movement of the closure plate 3 back and/or forth in a manner
dependent on the signal of the detector 10. This makes it possible
for the regulating device 13 to stop the drive 6 for movement of
the closure plate 3 back and/or forth, or to reverse the direction
of movement thereof, if the detector 10 detects a relative movement
between closure plate 3 and plate holder 8, that is to say the
signal of the detector 10 indicates a movement of the closure plate
3 relative to the plate holder 8 along the guide 7 counter to the
preload of the elastic preload body 9.
[0034] The latter case occurs, especially during movement of the
closure plate 3 in the direction toward the closed position, if,
generally inadvertently, an object 16, such as for example a
loading and/or unloading robot, or a hand or an arm of a person is
still situated in the loading opening 5. This scenario is shown in
FIGS. 8 to 10 using by way of example the object 16, which, while
the closure plate 3 is moved in the direction of the closed
position, is still situated in the loading opening 5. Instead of
the object 16, this could also be a hand or an arm or another body
part of a person or a hand-guided tool. If this results in a
collision between the object 16 or the person and the closure plate
3, then the closure plate 3 is stopped due to said collision while,
in this exemplary embodiment, the drives 6 and thus also the plate
holders 8 connected in a fixed manner thereto are moved further in
the direction of the closed position. This results in compression
of the preload bodies 9 and in a movement or displacement of the
closure plate 3 relative to the plate holders 8 along the guides 7
counter to the preload of the preload bodies 9. In this way, it is
then necessarily also the case that the first detector element 11
and the second detector element 12 are displaced relative to one
another, as can be seen from the comparison of FIGS. 8 to 10, on
the one hand, and FIGS. 1 to 7, on the other hand. As soon as the
detector 10 detects in this manner a relative movement between
closure plate 3 and plate holder 8, it sends a signal to the
regulating device 13, which accordingly stops the drive 6 or
reverses the direction of movement of the latter, so that no
injuries or other impairments to the object 16 or the person
trapped there can occur. In this way, the operating safety of
vacuum valves 1 serving for manual and/or mechanical loading and/or
unloading of a vacuum chamber 2 is increased significantly.
[0035] If the object 16 or the corresponding body part of the
person is then removed from the loading opening 5, then the preload
bodies 9 push the closure plate 3 and the plate holders 8 back into
their initial or normal position, as per FIGS. 1 to 7, relative to
one another, so that the vacuum valve 1 can then be used again in
the known manner for opening up and also closing off the loading
opening 5.
[0036] Generally, the vacuum valve 1 according to the invention is
configured especially such that it is able to react to jamming of
an object 16 or of a corresponding body part of a person during a
closing process. It would also be conceivable, however, for vacuum
valves 1 according to the invention to be configured in such a way
that they are able to realize this safety function only during an
opening process or both during an opening process and during a
closing process. It should especially be pointed out that vacuum
valves 1 according to the invention may also be configured as
so-called mono vacuum valves, in the case of which the closure
plate 3 is moved back and forth between open position and closed
position only linearly in one direction of movement, such as in
this case, for example, in the direction of the movement path 14.
For this purpose, it would be necessary merely to correspondingly
adapt the shape of the valve seat 4 and of the closure plate 3,
this being known per se in the prior art.
LEGEND FOR THE REFERENCE SIGNS
[0037] 1 Vacuum valve
[0038] 2 Vacuum chamber
[0039] 3 Closure plate
[0040] 4 Valve seat
[0041] 5 Loading opening
[0042] 6 Drive
[0043] 7 Guide
[0044] 8 Plate holder
[0045] 9 Preload body
[0046] 10 Detector
[0047] 11 First detector element
[0048] 12 Second detector element
[0049] 13 Regulating device
[0050] 14 Movement path
[0051] 15 Closure plane
[0052] 16 Object
[0053] 17 Further drive
[0054] 18 Valve housing
[0055] 19 Elongate hole
[0056] 20 Guide peg
[0057] 21 Pin
[0058] 22 Piston rod
[0059] 23 Shoulder
[0060] 24 Second movement path
* * * * *